


Oblivious

by triberghexe241



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-02-08 20:11:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12872112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triberghexe241/pseuds/triberghexe241
Summary: Dustin’s older sister has worked hard to maintain her grades and help her mother with the family responsibilities after their dad left. With their mother having become more absent, the reader takes over as head of the household. When Dustin befriends his sister’s longtime acquaintance and crush, Steve Harrington, the pair see each other more often and the reader’s feelings resurface but the reader is convinced that Steve would never be interested in her. (I’m shit at summaries, sorry)





	1. People in Town Talk

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting a fic in years, I’m a dramatic asshole so the reader has a dramatic backstory and a lot of internal monologue and conflict. Also, this is one of those, the reader is Dustin’s older sisters fics. Hopefully, there are no errors! I had my English major brother and sister go through it to proofread. Let me know if you see a flaw though! And if you’re interested in a second part. This is only the first 3 pages of an 18-page document so I’ve got it pretty fleshed out. I’m still in limbo on whether or not it is going to be an AU where there was no upside down or if the reader is just blissfully unaware of those events. My characterization is probably garbage so sorry about that, lol. You can also find me on tumblr @ stevesdacre

“Bye Alex!” (Y/N) called to her boss at White Worm, the music store that was settled between the tailor and pharmacy in central Hawkins; the older Henderson sibling pushed open the door. Her usual soft smile settled on her face as she walked down the sidewalk in the brisk March air, it was colder than usual for this time of year; Spring was late and Winter was clinging to the town.  
“Oh (Y/N)!” Mrs. Mackey’s familiar voice called from the door of the tailor shop. (Y/N) turned around and smiled at the woman.  
“Hi, Mrs. Mackey.” She said.  
“Will you please give these to your mother?” She asked, nearly shoving a recipe box into (Y/N)’s hands. “You and your brother never seem to eat a meal at home since your dad left, maybe that will help.”  
“Oh. Yeah, thanks, Mrs. Mackey.” (Y/N) said, hiding her annoyance with the woman well. She gave her a smile and small nod before turning around and walking to her car.  
Just like just about every other adult in Hawkins she had to be in everyone’s business. (Y/N) and Dustin’s father had left about 8 years ago now. Dustin was only 5 so he has fewer memories of the man than his sister. Their mother had shut down in a sense, adopting Mews, which (Y/N)’s ten-year-old self thought would be good for their mother but was not. Their mother became somewhat reclusive and distant, the family ate pizza or fast food for dinner frequently. When (Y/N) turned 13, her mother started to take care of Dustin less. Of course, their mother still loved them but her responsibilities toward Dustin seemed to fall on the oldest Henderson sibling, their mother became less reclusive but more impulsive. The past four years (Y/N) Henderson had been working at the White Worm, going to school and making sure her brother stayed out of trouble. The last was the hardest task to accomplish. Dustin was as strong-willed as his sister, which was great for him not so much for her. Luckily, he stuck with his friends. Just a few months ago, he’d somehow befriended Steve Harrington of all people. (Y/N) was iffy at first but the nights Steve had joined them for movies, she realized that Steve was actually a decent guy. She knew Dustin looked up to him and she was glad her brother had somewhat of a father figure to look up to. (Y/N) had had a crush on Steve Harrington since they were 14, not that he ever gave her the time of day unless it was for her help with his homework. However, once he started dating Nancy Wheeler, he’d practically stopped interacting with her at all until he and Dustin became friends. He and Nancy had broken up back at Tina’s party, a very public and somewhat embarrassing fiasco for both sides but they’d put it behind them and become friends again. At least that’s what she assumed from how frequently (Y/N) saw the pair and Jonathan Byers hanging out.  
“(Y/N).” Nancy greeted her with a smile as she and Jonathan Byers approached her car.  
‘Speak of the Devil.’ (Y/N) thought as she tossed her backpack into the passenger seat and turned back to her classmate. Nancy was actually the sweetest person (Y/N) knew so she scolded herself for using that phrase.  
“Oh hey, Nancy. Jonathan” (Y/N) smiled back to them, Jonathan nodded to her.  
“Are you still taking signups for helping with the Spring Fling?” Nancy asked.  
“Oh!” (Y/N) smiled and laughed a little. “Yeah, honestly I was surprised when you didn’t sign up in the first place.”  
“Oh, well Jonathan, Steve and I all wanted to sign up. If that’s okay?” She asked.  
“Sure, I need all the help I can get.” (Y/N) shrugged and grabbed her notebook and pen out of her backpack, quickly jotting down the three’s names. “Okay, we have a committee meeting after school on Monday in Mrs. Bronson’s room.”  
“We’ll be there.” Nancy smiled.  
“See you guys then.” (Y/N) smiled and waved to them as they walked away. (Y/N) let out a sigh and got into her car. There were practically no sign-ups for the dance committee since the senior class had returned from Winter Break, so far it was (Y/N) and Kelly Franklin. Now that short list included (Y/N)’s longtime crush, his ex-girlfriend, and his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. “That’ll be some meeting.” (Y/N) said to herself as she started her car. “Dustin?” (Y/N) called as she walked into their house. No answer, he must still be at the Wheeler’s. Mom was still in Chicago with Aunt Meg. (Y/N) set her backpack by the door and went to her room, grabbing her stereo and setting it on the kitchen counter. She was humming one of the new Prince songs from the latest release. It had been playing in the store most of the day so she’d decided to buy the cassette, she grabbed the new tape from her backpack and loaded it into her stereo. Turning it up as loud as she could without annoying the neighbors. She assumed that Dustin was likely staying the night at the Wheeler’s and started to cook dinner for herself, dancing around the kitchen and singing along to the track she enjoyed most. Raspberry Beret  
“You’re such a weirdo.” (Y/N) jumped upon hearing her brother’s shout behind her. She turned around and felt her face flush as Steve Harrington paused the tape. She looked between the pair, Dustin had a black eye and Steve’s face was pretty beat up. “Dusty, what happened to your eye?” (Y/N) nearly shouted.  
“That dickhead, Billy Hargrove.” Steve said as (Y/N) turned to the freezer and grabbed a bag of peas.  
“God, he’s such an asshole.” (Y/N) muttered as she passed her brother the peas.  
“I just asked Steve to take me home so I could get stuff to stay at Mike’s,” Dustin said taking the peas and holding them over his eye as he walked towards his room.  
“Hey! You gotta tell me what happened, Dust!” (Y/N) called after him.  
“Steve can!” Dustin yelled back before shutting his door. (Y/N) turned back to Steve.  
“Shit that looks bad.” (Y/N) said.  
“Ah, he looks worse. Trust me.” Steve smirked.  
“Come on, Harrington.” (Y/N) said and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, leading him to the bathroom. He sat on the edge of the bathtub as (Y/N) grabbed a first aid kit from under the sink. She wet a washcloth and gently cleaned off the dried blood that settled around Steve’s nose and the scrapes. “So, what happened?”  
“Hargrove was just picking on Dustin when he and his friends were leaving the arcade, I was nearby so I shut him down.” Steve shrugged and winced as (Y/N) accidentally wiped off a fresh scab.  
“Shit sorry.” She whispered. “Thanks for looking out for him.”  
“Yeah, no problem, the little dipshit is actually pretty cool,” Steve said.  
(Y/N) chuckled, “Yeah, he is.” She tossed the soiled washcloth into the sink and soaked a cotton ball in some rubbing alcohol. “This is gonna sting, sorry.” (Y/N) apologized in advance before dabbing the scrapes that littered Steve’s face.  
“You got some good moves, Henderson.” Steve smirked a bit as (Y/N) continued to clean up his face.  
“Oh shut up, Steve.” (Y/N) replied as she turned away from him and tossed the soiled cotton ball in the trash. She grabbed a few band-aids and covered the scrapes quickly. “There.”  
“Bye!” Dustin yelled as he walked by the bathroom.  
“Hey!” Steve and (Y/N) both called and walked out of the bathroom, after him. “I can give you a ride.” They said in unison and glanced over at each other.  
“Nah, I’ll take my bike, thanks for the save, Harrington.” He said as he grabbed a chocolate muffin from the plate on the counter. Dustin shoved it into his mouth and walked out of the house.  
“Well, I guess I’ll see you on Monday.” Steve chuckled. “Thank you.” He said and motioned to his face.  
“Yeah,” (Y/N) nodded. “Anytime. Thanks for sticking up for Dusty.”  
“Anytime.” Steve nodded and smiled at her as he walked out the door. Now or never, she told herself. (Y/N) went after him.  
“Hey, Steve!” She called. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at her slightly, the eye contact made her panic slightly. “Just… uh, a heads up. Nancy signed you up for helping on the dance committee. The meeting is Monday after school in Mrs. Bronson’s room.” She said then realized that Steve would never in a thousand years be apart of the dance committee. “Not that… you know, not that you have to come. It’s fine if you don’t.” She shrugged.  
“I’ll be there.” Steve smiled at her before going to his car. (Y/N) went back inside and plopped on the couch with a sigh, if there was one person in the entire school she didn’t have a chance with it was Steve Harrington.


	2. Pissing Contest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again you can find on tumblr @ stevesdacre

“(Y/N), hey!” Kelly slid over to (Y/N)’s locker at lunch.  
“Hey, Kells.” (Y/N) said casually as she swapped out her books.  
“So about the dance committee, I actually met my extracurricular needs with yearbook so yeah, I’m not gonna be on the dance committee anymore.” She said. (Y/N) nodded. “Cool, thanks, bye!” Kelly walked off and (Y/N) groaned and shut her locker.  
“Hey, Henderson.” Billy Hargrove said casually, he’d at some point leaned against Mark Henley’s locker to the right of hers. He moved a little closer, slightly blocking her in. His face was more scraped up and bruised than Steve’s and (Y/N) held back a small smile.  
“Forget where your locker is again Billy?” She said. “To the left of mine, past Steve’s. Guess they don’t teach the alphabet in California though.”  
Billy smirked and leaned in closer to her, “You’re cute when you get feisty.” (Y/N) nearly gagged on his breath, heavy with the scent of alcohol and cigarettes.  
“Ugh, you should brush your teeth more.” (Y/N) went to walk away and Billy placed his hand on Steve’s locker, taking a small step in front of her; blocking her in completely.  
“Hear me out, Henderson,” Billy said and brushed some hair behind her ear. “I wanna take you to a movie on Friday night.”  
“Friday night?” She asked.  
“Yeah, the new Friday the 13th is out.” He said.  
“Friday is the dance.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Not that if it wasn’t, I’d go out with you anyway.”  
“Well, let me take you to the dance.” He said.  
“Yeah, Hargrove.” She said.  
“Yeah?” He grinned.  
“When Hell freezes over, asshole.” She said and went to shove through his arm, Billy shoved her back against her locker.  
“Just let me take you to the dance.” He said, one hand harshly holding her waist and the other back against Steve’s locker. (Y/N) glanced around, weighing her options. Duck under his arm and deal with the bruise from his hand on her hip. Knee him in the groin and walk away but probably get detention.  
“You’re a massive asshole that gave my little brother a black eye, why would I ever go out with you?” (Y/N) said and let out a small gasp of pain when the hand on her waist gripped tighter.  
“Something you don’t know, (Y/N), is I tend to get what I want,” Billy said.  
“Fuck off.” She spat.  
“I’m taking you to the dance,” Billy said.  
“Not a ch-”  
A hand landed on Billy’s shoulder and his grip on her waist got tighter, “She told you to fuck off, Hargrove.” Steve sounded fairly pissed.  
“This isn’t your business, amigo.” Billy didn’t even look at him.  
“(Y/N)’s my friend, it’s my business, amigo.” Steve mocked him. Billy looked over his shoulder at Steve and (Y/N) slipped out under his arm quickly. Billy turned around and the pair glared at each other, Billy took a step forward and Steve held his ground.  
“And what are you going to do about it, King Steve?” Billy asked.  
“Steve.” (Y/N) said and grabbed the back of his jacket. “He’s not worth it, let’s just go.” Steve just nodded, slowly softening his glare as he turned to (Y/N). The pair walked away.  
“See you around, (Y/N)!” Billy yelled at her.  
“Thanks for that.” (Y/N) told Steve as they walked to the cafeteria.  
“Guy doesn’t know when to fuck off,” Steve muttered and (Y/N) nodded in agreement.  
“Well, uh, see you later I guess.” She said as Steve grabbed a lunch tray.  
“Hey wait, (Y/N). You wanna…” Steve turned around as she was walking away. Quickly. “Eat lunch together?” He sighed quietly to himself.  
(Y/N) slipped into the girl’s bathroom on the way to the library, she stood in front of the mirror and pulled up her shirt before she gently poked at the red spot Billy had left on her hip, it would definitely be a bruise by tomorrow. “God, what an ass.” She muttered.  
Steve walked over to Nancy and Jonathan and set his tray on the table before sitting down. “Nance, how well do you know (Y/N)?” He asked her.  
“Uh,” Nancy thought for a second. “Not very well… She keeps to herself apart from dance committee… Sometimes we’d hang out when we were little but I don’t know her very well now.” Nancy shrugged.  
“Jonathan?” Steve asked looking at him.  
Jonathan shrugged, “All I know about her is Will thinks she’s pretty cool and she works at the Worm. She still takes part in their D&D campaigns when she has time apparently. Why don’t you just ask Dustin about her?”  
Steve scoffed, “That’d be like you asking Mike how to get Nancy on a da-” Steve stopped.  
“Oh my God, you have a thing for her don’t you?” Nancy asked. “That’s why you were so quick to agree to the dance committee thing!”  
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right but just like shh.” Steve stumbled over his words.  
“Just ask her to be your date for the dance.” Nancy shrugged.  
“But what if she doesn’t like dancing?” He countered.  
“I think she does.” Jonathan countered.  
“Yeah, she’s always dancing around when we go into the Worm,” Nancy said. Steve thought for a moment, she was dancing around her kitchen when he’d dropped Dustin off on Saturday.  
“Okay, yeah, but what if she doesn’t like slow dancing?” Steve asked. Nancy laughed and Jonathan shook his head.  
“Steve, just ask her out,” Nancy said. “We have the dance committee meeting after school, just ask her then.” Nancy shrugged.  
Steve sat in the library with Jonathan and Nancy. (Y/N) was standing in front of the table they were at, writing some plans on the chalkboard. Steve was staring at the board as she wrote things down, explaining everything; but all Steve was processing was different ways he could ask her to the dance after this meeting was done. The meeting went on for some time.  
“Fuck.” (Y/N) said and Steve was pulled out of his thoughts. “Um, here are the lists of what to pick up and where to pick it up from. Thanks for offering to help guys. I’ll see you later.” (Y/N) smiled at everyone and quickly grabbed her things.  
“I’ll walk you to your car!” Steve said grabbing his stuff quickly and getting up as she walked away. He heard Nancy and Jonathan laugh lightly as he followed her out of the library. “Just in case, you know, Hargrove tries to bug you.” He said as he caught up with her down the hallway.  
(Y/N) chuckled, “Thanks, Steve.”  
“So you excited for the dance?” He asked her as they walked out of the building  
“Can’t wait for it to be over, honestly.” She chuckled. “Everyone wants Spring Fling to happen but no one wants to help out with it.” She shrugged as they were at the halfway point to her car. “Except you guys.” She smiled at him. “Which I appreciate by the way.”  
“Yeah, yeah, no problem.” He smiled back. “So uh, do you have a date for it?” He asked as she opened her car door.  
(Y/N) laughed as she tossed her backpack into her passenger seat and got in, “Nah. The only offer I’ve gotten was from Billy so that’s definitely a no. I gotta go or I’m gonna be late, see you tomorrow.” She shut her door and waved to him. Steve nodded to her and waved back as he took a step back as she drove off.  
“What the fuck,” Steve said to himself. He’d never had this hard of a time talking to her or anyone before. What the hell was happening?  
(Y/N) hummed along to Modern Love by David Bowie as she restocked some of the cassettes. She went to the back and grabbed a pile of CDs from the box, no one in Hawkins really bought many CDs so they rarely needed restocking. Once everything was stocked she returned to her spot at the register, flipping through her Algebra 2 textbook. Billy had walked in and made his way to the rock section, he looked up at (Y/N) as she hummed along to the songs that came on the mixtape she’d put in the store stereo system. He stopped flipping through the cassettes and watched her flip through her textbook and sway with the music. He grabbed a random Van Halen cassette and made his way to the counter, (Y/N) jumped as he threw the tape on top of her book. She looked up and took a deep breath.  
“That all Billy?” She asked as she rung him up.  
“Your number would be great too.” He said leaning against the counter and smirking at her.  
“Fine,” She shrugged and wrote the number down on his receipt, passing it to Billy along with his tape. “Have a great day.” She faked a smile.  
“See you tomorrow, sweet cheeks.” He winked and pushed himself off the counter. (Y/N) rolled her eyes as Billy left the shop. She spotted Dustin and his friends, accompanied by Steve. She raised an eyebrow, Steve and her brother were talking intensely. Max turned around and yelled something at the pair, Dustin motioned to Max and seemed to agree with her. Steve seemed exasperated as he pushed his hair back and sighed. (Y/N) shrugged it off and went back to work.


	3. Take Me Out Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I'm on tumblr @ stevesdacre

(Y/N) opened her locker the next morning, keeping an ear out for Billy to come bug her.  
“Hey, (Y/N)!” Nancy greeted her cheerily.  
“Morning, Nancy.” (Y/N) smiled at her. “What’s up?”  
“Do you have a date for the dance yet?” She asked.  
(Y/N) chuckled, “No, the only person that’s asked is Billy and that’s obviously not happening.”  
“Is there anybody you wanna go with?” Nancy asked.  
“Um.” (Y/N) shrugged. “I mean yeah but they’re probably not gonna go.” She said.  
“Maybe you should ask them about it?” Nancy smiled.  
“Yeah, Nancy, maybe.” (Y/N) shrugged again, the bell rang and the pair separated.  
“You didn’t ask her?” Nancy asked Steve as she sat next to him in English.  
“She was late for work, she left really quick.” He said.  
“Steve, you could have asked her while she was at work.” Nancy pointed out.  
“That would’ve been weird.” He countered, Nancy rolled her eyes.

(Y/N) had arrived back at the gym before Jonathan and Nancy or Steve. She carried the box of the streamers and banners down the hall to the gym, quietly humming to herself as she did so. The group had split up after school to pick up everything they need to have the dance set up in time. The AV club had already done their job of setting up the music booth so now it was just time for decorations, (Y/N) set the box in the center of the floor and grabbed a ladder before getting to work. Nancy and Jonathan were in charge of grabbing stuff for the refreshments table and some extra duct tape and zip-ties. Steve was in charge of grabbing a couple of helium tanks and the packages of balloons. The three had arrived back at the school around the same time, Nancy carried the groceries bags in as Jonathan helped Steve with the tanks and bags of balloons. The two guys walked down the hall toward the gym and Steve raised an eyebrow as he noticed Nancy paused in the doorway. 

“Nancy, what are yo-” Steve stopped as Nancy shushed him. The two guys joined her and Steve let out a small chuckle as he noticed (Y/N) dancing around and decorating, singing the chorus for Take Me Home Tonight louder than the three had ever heard her. (Y/N) moved back to the table and danced around as she made another flower out of streamers.  
“Do we leave?” Jonathan chuckled slightly.  
“We leave,” Nancy said. “Steve stays.” She shoved Steve in front of her lightly before grabbing Jonathan’s hand and leading him back down the hall little ways.  
“You got some good moves, Henderson!” Steve called to (Y/N) with a grin, he chuckled as she blushed slightly.  
“Oh, uh, hey. Thanks. Um, so we should probably start on the balloons since that’ll take the longest.” She said, acting like nothing had happened. “Is the other tank in your car?”  
“Uh, yeah, Jonathan is grabbing it.” He said and (Y/N) nodded before taking a bag of balloons from him and walking over to the bleachers. Steve followed her over with the tank as Jonathan and Nancy came in, (Y/N) pointed Nancy in the direction of the table for her to set up as Jonathan set down the other tanks and bags of balloons by (Y/N) and Steve. Jonathan walked back over to Nancy and started to help her set up the table.  
“So what were you talking with my brother about on Monday?” (Y/N) asked after a few silent moments of blowing up balloons with Steve.  
“What?” He asked.  
(Y/N) shrugged, “I just saw you guys walking by the Worm after school and Y'all seemed to be having a very intense conversation.”  
“Ah, that, yeah we were just talking about…” Steve thought for a moment. “We were talking about uh, some arcade game. I can’t remember what it’s called, Dustin and Max are fighting for the high score.” He shrugged.  
“Ah.” (Y/N) chuckled as she tied another balloon to the railing. “Dragon’s Lair?”  
“Yeah, I think so.” He nodded. (Y/N) bounced around after the pair had finished with the balloons, going from putting them on different corners or the stage and tying them to the check-in and refreshment tables. “Okay, looks great!” (Y/N) smiled as Jonathan and Steve finished tying up the banner. “Thanks for the help guys.”  
“Time to run home and get ready.” Nancy smiled.  
“Uh, yeah.” (Y/N) nodded, she had no intention of staying for the dance; just to come back towards the end to clean up. The four walked out to the parking lot together, Nancy and Jonathan broke off from Steve and (Y/N) and went to Jonathan’s car. At this point, Steve had just decided he’d ask her for a dance later in the night.  
“See you tonight.” He smiled at her.  
“Uh, yeah.” She nodded and got into her car, pulling out of the parking lot fairly quickly.  
10 o’clock had rolled around and (Y/N) was sitting on her couch watching Knight Rider. She’d head back to the school around 11:30 to help break down and clean everything up. Dustin strolled down the hallway and was about to slide into the kitchen when he saw his sister and turned around.  
“Wait, why aren’t you at the dance?” Her brother asked.  
“Didn’t wanna go.” She shrugged. “Just going back to clean up.”  
“What! No!” Dustin shouted.  
“Dustin, shh,” She shushed. “You’ll wake mom up.”  
“You should go to the dance!” Dustin exclaimed. “Something really cool is gonna happen!”  
“What the hell are you talking about, Dusty?” She asked  
Dustin took a deep breath, “When I was at Mike’s I overheard Nancy talking to one of her friends about how someone gonna ask you out at the dance and I think you should go!”  
(Y/N) raised an eyebrow at her brother, “Why?”  
“Because. ” Dustin said.  
“You’re up to something.” She said. “And I think I’ll just stay here and watch Knight Rider until you tell me what’s going on.”  
“I’ll do your chores for the rest of the month if you go!” Dustin said, for whatever reason he was adamant about getting you to the dance.  
“Fine.” (Y/N) chuckled and got up. “You little weirdo.” She ruffled her brother’s hair as she walked past him on the way to her room. She pulled out her best dress and quickly did her makeup and hair. “Chores for the rest of the month!” She called to Dustin as she walked back to through the living room. He gave her a thumbs up as she walked out the door.  
(Y/N) sighed as she got out of her car, “Just sit in the bleachers and tell people you’re tired.” She told herself. “You were too busy to get a date.” She muttered as she walked into the gym, she smiled at the teachers at check-in and made her way to the bleachers quickly. She people watched, noting Jonathan and Nancy awkwardly swaying on the edge of the crowd. She spotted Steve who seemed to be bored as he danced with Ashley Michaels, the pair were fairly close to where she sat. (Y/N) crossed her legs and rested her chin in her palm as she watched her classmates dance with each other. She was proud of the work she’d done earlier in the day but didn’t see the point in getting up just to dance alone in a crowded room. (Y/N) scanned the room again.  
“Ah, fuck.” She said to herself as she saw Billy heading her way.


	4. Spring Fling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's some more drama  
> On Tumblr @ stevesdacre

Billy reached her as she stood up.  
“Just the girl I was looking for.” He said with his usual shit-eating grin.  
“Oh and look at that, I’m looking for the exit.” She retorted and began to walk away. Billy grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, his other arm gripped the small of her back.  
“Giving me Harrington’s number instead of yours was a shitty joke, he and I had a nice little chat.” He said. “I think you owe me an apology though.” 

“Oh, I don’t owe you shit.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes and went to pull away from him. Billy held her tighter to him and pulled her over near Steve and Ashley as Africa by Toto began to play.  
“We can dance, or I can make life hell for your brother and Harrington.” Billy said in her ear. (Y/N) sighed as she reluctantly moved her hands to rest on his shoulders and moved her feet to the music, Billy kept a tight grip on her waist. (Y/N) looked away from Billy and noticed Steve staring at them, he’d moved to the bleachers and was standing there by himself. Ashley nowhere in sight. (Y/N) just shook her head and looked back towards Billy, not looking up at him just staring at the grungy red button-up he always seemed to wear. Billy glanced around the gym and smirked when he noticed Steve staring at the pair, he looked back to (Y/N) and moved one of his hands to tilt (Y/N)’s chin up.  
“Dude, what the fuck!” (Y/N) shouted and shoved him away hard the second he kissed her. Steve pushed through the other students quickly.  
“Didn’t I tell you to leave her the hell alone, Hargrove?” Steve said as he got between Billy and (Y/N). Billy shoved Steve back and he hit the ground.  
“You lose, Harrington, she’s coming home with me tonight.” Billy said. Steve was on his feet quickly, he landed a right hook on Billy’s jaw and Billy stumbled back. Billy turned back and landed a hard hit on Steve, then grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and headbutted him. Steve fell to the ground and Billy continued to punch him. The crowd yelling either “fight” or “stop”. A few teachers came in and pulled Billy off, (Y/N) kneeled next to Steve. Nancy and Jonathan stood by the pair.  
“Hey, Steve. Can you hear me?” (Y/N) shook his shoulders gently.  
“(Y/N)?” He muttered.  
“Yeah. Hey.” She nodded. “Let’s get you up.” She said to him. Jonathan and Nancy helped (Y/N) pick him up.  
“I can walk.” Steve slurred.  
“Yeah, not by yourself, buddy.” (Y/N) said as they helped him out to the parking lot. “I’m gonna take you back to my house and patch you up, okay?”  
“Hm, you’re cute when you’re all worried.” Steve smiled at her, “Ow fuck.” He muttered and touched his split lip. The three of them chuckled slightly.  
“Are you gonna be okay to get him inside?” Nancy asked.  
“Yeah, I’ll make Dustin help.” (Y/N) nodded.  
“We’ll clean up the dance.” Jonathan said as he helped (Y/N) get Steve into her passenger seat.  
“Thanks.” (Y/N) sighed and got in the car.  
“I wanted to ask you to the dance.” Steve muttered, looking over at her. “Will you dance with me?” He asked, completely out of it.  
“Sure, Steve.” (Y/N) chuckled a bit as she pulled into her driveway. Steve went to get out of her car. “Wait, let me help you.” She said as she got out. Steve ignored her and got out, swaying as he stood up and bracing himself against the car door as he took a step forward. “Just put your arm around my shoulders.” (Y/N) said and grabbed his hand gently.  
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” He grinned and did so. (Y/N) rolled her eyes and helped Steve inside. Dustin was watching some sci-fi movie when (Y/N) threw open the door, causing her little brother to scream.  
“Dust, move.” She said. Her brother hopped off the couch.  
“Holy shit, what happened to him?” He asked.  
“Not now, go get the first aid stuff from the bathroom please.” She said as she laid their friend down on the couch. “And a damp washcloth too, Dustin.”  
“I’m fine, (Y/N), really.” Steve muttered.  
“You gotta stop getting in fights, I’m running out of band-aids, Steve.” (Y/N) teased slightly as her brother set the first-aid kit by her and handed her the washcloth. Just like she had on Saturday, she cleaned his wounds and patched him up. “I’m gonna get you some ice.” She said and got up, going to the kitchen and filling a dishtowel with ice. She tied it together with a hair tie and returned to the living room.  
“No dude, obviously not. I got this shit beat out of me before I could.” Steve said to Dustin.  
“Miss your chance to ask someone out?” (Y/N) chuckled as she handed Steve the ice pack.  
“I mean he really hasn’t.” Dustin muttered as (Y/N) took a seat in the armchair by the couch.  
“Dude.” Steve said and nodded to the hallway, slightly annoyed. (Y/N) hadn’t even caught the comment as she was distracted by whatever movie her brother had been watching earlier.  
“Sonofabitch, you guys are dumb.” Dustin muttered as he walked away from his sister and friend.  
“Night, Dust!” (Y/N) called after her brother.  
“Yeah, whatever!” He yelled back to her before closing his bedroom door.  
(Y/N) chuckled at him and looked over at Steve, he gave her as much of a smile as his newly split lip would allow. (Y/N) saw him wince and chuckled, “Don’t hurt yourself, Steve.”  
“Ah, I’m fine, (Y/N).” He said casually and went to sit up. “Oh,” He said as the room spun. “Oh,” He repeated as he laid back down. “Maybe not.”  
“You can crash on the couch tonight, our mom won’t care.” (Y/N) said. “I’ll grab you a blanket.” She added as she stood up.  
“Thank you, (Y/N).” Steve muttered. Dustin waited for his sister to go to the closet at the back of the hall before slipping out of his room, his sister’s diary in hand.  
“Dude, you just gotta go for it.” Dustin said.  
“I honestly do not think she’s interested, at this point.” Steve said and moved the ice pack from his eye down to his lip.  
“Are you that much of an idiot, Steve?” Dustin said and flipped open the notebook. “From today,” He cleared his throat. “Fully embarrassed myself for the 100th time today, Steve yet again saw me and my stupid dance moves. I need to lose this crush, everyone knows it’ll never happen.”  
“Dustin, what the hell!” (Y/N) yelled from the hallway, blanket and extra pillow in her arms.  
“Shit.” Dustin mumbled and turned around smiling at his sister, hiding the journal behind his back. “It was a joke?”  
“Seriously, stealing my diary?” (Y/N) walked over and tossed the pillow and blanket in Steve’s lap. “Hand it over, you little shit.” (Y/N) held out her hand.  
“Sorry, here.” He mumbled and handed it over.  
“I do like your dance moves.” Steve smiled at her to try and make the situation less awkward. (Y/N) turned away and went to her room, mumbling about her annoying little brother.  
“Oops?” Dustin chuckled slightly turning back to Steve.  
“Go to bed, dipshit.” Steve shook his head and put the pillow under his head before spreading the blanket over him.  
(Y/N) dreaded leaving her room the next morning, she started at her door. She had to get out of bed and go shower, she had to go help Alex with the opening shift. Now Steve knew she had a crush on him, she knew it’d be more awkward than ever. She let out a deep sigh. Just get up, shower, get dressed and leave. But at hyperspeed. No chatting with Dustin, just straight out the front door. She’d already heard mom leave, so there was no hiding behind her.  
“Just get up and go.” She said to herself. (Y/N) pushed herself out of bed and rushed through her morning routine. She heard Steve and Dustin talking and laughing from the kitchen. He was still here. She grabbed her backpack and her keys, sneaking to the edge of the hallway.  
“Okay, so you have to kill the dragon, that sounds easy.” Steve chuckled.  
“But it’s annoying.” Dustin whined. “The controls don’t make any sense and you can die so easily.”  
As mad as she was at him last night, (Y/N) loved her little brother and still found it crazily endearing how close Steve was to him. She shook the thought away.  
“1… 2… 3…” She counted to herself quietly and rushed out of the hallway, only focused on getting to the front door.  
“Hey!” Dustin called after her. “You should at least eat breakfast!”  
She ignored him completely and walked out of the house, tossing her backpack in her passenger seat and climbing into the driver’s seat. She’d never driven so fast in her life.  
(Y/N)’s stomach growled a couple hours into her shift, she ignored it and continued to stock the cassettes. Alex had left for the day and would be back only to close the shop. (Y/N) checked the time, four more hours of her shift; she rolled her shoulders and sighed as she put the last cassette in its place. The bell rang as she stood up and grabbed the now empty box, she sighed in relief as Nancy and Jonathan walked in.  
“Hey guys.” She smiled a bit.  
“Hey, how’d last night go?” Nancy asked as (Y/N) scanned the new tapes she’d stocked.  
“It was fine.” She shrugged as she grabbed the new Clash tape they’d gotten in. She tossed it to Jonathan. “New stuff from The Clash, consider it my thanks for cleaning up everything last night. Nance, I owe you.” She knew they were going to ask about Steve and wanted to move the subject as far from him as possible as she walked to the register. She grabbed money from her backpack and rung up the cassette she’d given Jonathan.  
“Thanks…” Jonathan nodded slowly as the pair followed her to the register.  
“Is Steve okay?” Nancy asked.  
“Yeah, he’s fine.” (Y/N) shrugged.  
“Just fine?” Nancy asked.  
“I don’t know, Nancy, you should ask him.” (Y/N) said a bit harsher than she had meant to. Her tone softened. “Sorry, he’s probably still hanging out at my house with my brother. He crashed at our place last night.”  
“Okay, well… I guess we’ll go talk to him.” Nancy nodded.  
“Have fun, see you guys around.” (Y/N) replied.  
“Thanks again.” Jonathan said holding up the tape as they left. The bell rang soon after the pair had left.  
“Nance, just go talk to Steve” (Y/N) asked not looking up from her textbook, assuming it was Nancy and Jonathan again. Her stomach growled again and she quietly cursed it.  
“Harrington is the last person I want to talk to.” Billy said and (Y/N) could hear the smirk in his voice.  
“What do you want?” (Y/N) sighed.  
Billy shrugged, “Anything new?” He asked.  
“No.” (Y/N) said pointedly.  
“Didn’t really get that dance last night.” He said as he made his way over to the counter, (Y/N) leaned back as Billy leaned on the counter and smirked at her.  
“If you hadn’t tried to kiss me, maybe you would’ve.” She said.  
Billy chuckled, “Maybe.” He licked his lips. “Guess I gotta go through with my plan though.”  
“What?” (Y/N) asked.  
“Makin’ life hell for Harrington and toothless.” Billy chuckled and pushed himself off the counter, he was walking toward the door. (Y/N) couldn’t let Steve and her brother get hurt just because this asshole didn’t get a dance.  
“Billy wait.” (Y/N) called and he turned around, raising an eyebrow. “What do you want?” She asked and Billy smirked.


	5. What The Fuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all want 1.4k of filler? Because that’s what this is. Don’t worry the Billy thing hopefully won’t last long. I’ll just say that from the start this was gonna be a slow burn, a slow… slow… slow… burn.
> 
> On Tumblr @ stevesdacre

“When’s your shift up?” Billy asked (Y/N) as he walked back to the register. 

“In about three hours, what do you want?” She repeated, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

“Well, since I didn’t get that dance last night…” 

“Yeah. We’ve been over that. Cut to the chase, man.” (Y/N) huffed.

“Just a few dates. Piss Harrington off.” Billy said. 

“You could date anyone to piss Steve off, idiot. He hates you.” She laughed. 

“You’re not really that fucking stupid, are you, (Y/N)?” Billy asked with a low chuckle. 

“Fuck you.” She scoffed. 

“Harrington’s into you, it’s pretty obvious.” Billy chuckled. “What more would piss him off than the girl he wants dating the person he hates?” He smirked. 

“That’s ridiculous.” (Y/N) shook her head. 

“A few dates, some PDA while we’re in the hallways… and I leave Harrington and your snot-nosed brother alone ‘til graduation.” He sucked his teeth as he looked at her. “What do you say, Henderson?” 

(Y/N) took a deep breath, thinking back to the few times she’d patched Steve up and the times Dustin had complained to her about Billy being a dick to him and the others. She took a moment to ease herself before looking at Billy. 

“You leave my brother’s friends alone too, and you have a deal.” She said, voice not wavering as much as she thought it was. 

“Well, Max is my step-” 

“You leave my brother’s friends alone, especially Max and Lucas, and you have a deal.” She repeated. 

“Guess the little shits and Harrington are safe.” Billy nodded. “Pick you up at 8, princess.” He grinned and walked out of the store.

Just until graduation, three months. She could do that, three months of putting up with Billy’s bullshit to ensure the safety of her brother and his friends. Of course, she could do that. She could also avoid Steve now, much easier. If Billy didn’t beat the shit out of Steve and she was out on dates with Billy while Steve was at the house with Dustin, she could avoid Steve until graduation. 

“Guess this means no more movie nights for me.” She sighed to herself. 

(Y/N) tried the door as soon as she reached it, locked. Hopefully, that meant no one was home and she could rest before getting ready for her date. She walked in and tossed her bag onto the kitchen counter, she grabbed a quick bite and then made her way to her room. 

“I’m just saying that I think your sister would still help with this new campaign.” (Y/N) heard Mike say after the front door closed. So much for any sort of nap. 

“(Y/N)!” Dustin yelled for her. “(Y/N), we have a new campaign!” He yelled again.  
(Y/N) opened her door and walked out to the living room, greeted by Lucas and Mike bickering about whether or not she was needed for the campaign, Will explaining D&D to Max and El, and her brother, standing with Steve. 

“When are you guys starting?” (Y/N) sighed as she leaned against the wall. “And what would I be doing?” 

“There’s a halfling character that I want you to be.” Mike broke from his argument with Lucas.

“We’d start next weekend.” Will added. 

“A halfling, that’s just a little insulting, Mike.” (Y/N) chuckled. 

“See I told you, guys!” Lucas announced. 

“Maybe have Max or El be the character until they get the hang of how the game fully works?” (Y/N) suggested.

“But we wanted this to be their first campaign,” Will said. 

“Steve’s too,” Dustin added. Steve smiled at (Y/N) and she looked away back towards, Mike.

“Well, guys, I would love to but I’ve probably got plans next weekend.” 

“Probably have plans?” Mike asked. “What does that even mean?” 

“Yeah, and Steve’s gonna be there, so what other plans could you have?” Max asked. 

“Uh, first of all: Rude, Max.” (Y/N) chuckled. “I have a date.” She shrugged and looked at the time, catching Steve’s confused expression out of the corner of her eye as she did so. “And I also have one tonight, which I need to get ready for.” 

“What!?” Dustin yelled. “No! It’s movie night!” 

“Sorry, Dusty.” (Y/N) sighed. “You guys have Steve, I’ll give him some cash for pizza and you can all enjoy yourselves.” She pushed herself off the wall and went back to her room. She leaned against her door as she let out a soft sigh. “This is going to suck.” She said to herself and started getting ready for her date with Billy. (Y/N) touched up her lipstick in the bathroom mirror, jumping slightly at the light rapping on the door jamb. She glanced at the door in the mirror.

“You look nice.” Steve smiled at her, the scab on his lip opening again slightly.  
(Y/N) felt her cheeks get hot and looked away from him. 

“Thanks, Steve.” She said quietly as she dug through her makeup bag, she didn’t need anything. She just wanted an excuse to look away from him. 

“Sorry for last night,” Steve said. “Dustin really shouldn’t uh… you know go through your stuff.” 

“I’d really rather not talk about it, Steve.” (Y/N) said as she continued going through her makeup bag. She grabbed her mascara and applied another coat just to keep herself distracted from looking at him. 

“And, thanks again by the way.” He said and (Y/N) glanced back at him as he pointed to his beaten face. 

“Yeah, no worries.” (Y/N) shrugged but froze as Steve stepped into the bathroom. She glanced at the small box of band-aids he set on the counter next to her. 

“Just for, next time, you know.” Steve chuckled lightly as (Y/N) turned to look at him. He stood a foot away, hands in his pocket, smiling softly at her. 

“Thanks, Steve.” She smiled a bit.

“I know you have to get ready but I just really wanted to say–” 

“Shit, shit, shit.” The pair heard Dustin running towards the bathroom. “Steve!” He called. (Y/N) chuckled a bit as Steve sighed when Dustin reached the door. 

“Yeah?” He asked, slightly frustrated as he turned around. 

“Billy is out front,” Dustin explained. “Max hid in my mom’s room but we think he knows she’s here anyway.” There was a knock at the front door, prompting Dustin and Steve to return to the living room. (Y/N) shook her head and went to her mother’s room. 

“Max, you can come out.” (Y/N) said. 

“Are you crazy?” Max spat. 

“No, just come on.” (Y/N) nodded back towards the living room. Max followed her out reluctantly. 

“What are you doing?” Dustin asked as his sister went to the door. Max sat with El and the boys. Steve stood at the door, listening for Billy to leave. 

“I gotta go.” (Y/N) said. 

“This is the worst possible time for you to leave.” Max pointed out. (Y/N) ignored the party and Steve as she opened the door. 

“You’re late, you know.” She told Billy, raising an eyebrow as he stood there with a few roses in his hand. 

“Well, shit, princess.” Billy chuckled. “I wanted to get you a little something.” He smirked as he passed her the roses. 

“What the fuck?” Dustin asked loudly. Steve watched the exchange with the most neutral look he could muster. 

“Come in for a minute.” (Y/N) said somewhat reluctantly. Billy stepped inside as (Y/N) walked to the kitchen. She tossed the roses in the dishwater and opened her wallet to grab pizza money. 

“Kick his ass, Steve!” Mike said. 

“Yeah, kick his ass, man!” Dustin added. 

“Guys,” Steve said sternly. “Shut up.” He glanced to (Y/N) as she came back out of the kitchen. 

“Here for pizza.” (Y/N) said as she handed him some cash. She looked at the kids. “Who’s staying the night?” 

“Everyone,” Dustin said. 

“The hell she is!” Billy shouted and (Y/N) elbowed him hard in the ribs, earning confused looks from the party and Steve and an annoyed look from Billy. 

“El, Max, usual rules. You guys sleep in my room if I’m not back by the time you guys decide to go to bed.” (Y/N) explained. 

“Right.” El nodded and Max just nodded slowly. 

“Steve.” (Y/N) looked at him. 

“Yeah, no, okay, yeah of course.” He stammered in agreement. 

“Don’t be assholes.” (Y/N) said to her brother and his friends. Billy put an arm around her shoulders and Steve raised an eyebrow as (Y/N) looked more annoyed than anything. 

“We should go, the movie starts soon,” Billy said to her. 

“Right.” (Y/N) muttered. “Later guys.” She said and followed Billy out of the house. 

“What the fuck just happened?” Dustin repeated and motioned to the front door.


	6. Pinky Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I've gotten a lot of comments and messages to update this. I've been kind of busy but have some down time so here's an update!

“Hey, asshole you have mail. From colleges!” Dustin said to his sister as she walked down the hallway, her hands fiddling with her earring. The party and Steve sat at the fold out table playing their new D&D campaign. The house had been filled with arguments between Mike, Lucas and Dustin and Will trying his best to explain why they were fighting to the others. Billy honked from outside and (Y/N) sighed.

“Thank, Dusty. I’ll check ‘em out when I get home.” She said. “Good luck with the new campaign, kiddos!” She called as she walked out the door. 

“Hey!” Steve laughed a bit, his laughter died when he realized (Y/N) hadn’t heard him and the door slammed shut. 

“You should really just do it already, Steve.” Max said. “This is getting a little sad.” 

“Whatever, lets just get back to... Whoever this guy is.” Steve picked up Dustin’s miniature. 

“That’s Dustin’s character, idiot.” Mike said and shook his head as they continued the game. 

The night came to a close when Jonathan and Nancy arrived to pick up Will. 

“Where’s (Y/N)?” Nancy asked. 

“On a date with Billy Hargrove.” Dustin said, disdain clear in his voice. Nancy and Jonathan both looked to Steve. 

“Yeah, I know, okay. These shitheads give me enough lip about it, don’t start, guys.” Steve sighed. 

“Right. Well,” Nancy looked to her brother. “Are you biking home or are we giving you a ride?” 

“I’ll bike.” He shrugged. Will left with his brother and Nancy as the rest of the party got on their bikes or skateboard and headed out. 

“There is a way to figure out what’s going on.” Dustin said. 

“What?” Steve asked as he broke down the table. 

“(Y/N) hates Billy, there has to be something going on.” Dustin clarified. 

“Shit, kid, maybe she just had a change of heart.” Steve shrugged and put the table back in it's usual spot behind the couch. Dustin had already started towards his sister’s room. Steve sighed and followed. “You’re not gonna read her diary again, dipshit.” Steve said. 

“Once I find it I will.” Dustin replied as he looked through the various drawers in his sister’s room. Steve looked at the time. 

“She’s gonna be home soon and tear your head off.” Steve chuckled, leaning in the doorway. 

“What the hell did she put it?” Dustin muttered as he dug through her vanity drawer. Almost on cue the pair heard the front door open. “Shit, shit, shit.” Dustin said as he rushed to put everything back in the drawer he’d been going through. Steve just shook his head and headed out to the main rooms. (Y/N) tossed her purse on the kitchen counter and picked up the pile of mail. 

“How was your night?” Steve asked as he moved to lean against the counter. 

“Same as always.” (Y/N) shrugged. “Shitty movie, food at the diner.”

Steve looked over at the time, a few hours were unaccounted for but he could guess what happened, knowing Billy. (Y/N) made a small pile of the letters she received from colleges. 

“I don't get why you’re dating him.” Dustin piped up as he walked down the hallway. 

“I don’t get why it's such a huge deal.” (Y/N) said as she tore open the first letter, eyebrow raised at her little brother. 

“He’s a huge asshole.” Steve and Dustin said in unison. 

“He’s not that bad.” (Y/N) lied through her teeth and was met with similar looks from Steve and Dustin. 

“Right, sure. I’m going to sleep.” Dustin said and went to his room. 

“Night!” Steve and (Y/N) called in unison. (Y/N) chuckled and returned her attention to the letter in her hands. 

Dear Ms. Henderson,  
We regret to inform you...  
(Y/N) put the letter down and opened the next one. 

Dear Ms. Henderson,  
We regret to inform you...  
And the next. 

Dear Ms. Henderson,  
We regret to inform you...  
The last.

Dear Ms. Henderson,  
We regret to inform you...

“What?” Steve chuckled. “Get into all of them?” He grinned at her as she started at the paper in her hands. His grin dropped when (Y/N) glanced up at him, tears welling in her eyes. 

“Uh, yeah.” She said and put the letter in the pile with the others. “Thanks for babysitting again.” She said and gathered the letters and began towards the hallway, wiping her eyes as she passed Steve. “We should really start paying you.” She chuckled.

“(Y/N), what happened?” Steve asked her, his voice soft and worried. He could tell she was trying to change the subject.

“Nothing.” Her voice cracked, causing her to clear her throat. “Nothing, Steve, it's fine.” 

“Hey.” Steve gently grabbed her arm, “You can talk to me, y’know.” He smiled at her softly. (Y/N)’s hands went to her face, covering it as she started to sob. Steve pulled her into a hug as the letters dropped to the floor. 

“I did everything right. What the fuck?” (Y/N) managed to get out between sobs. “All the extra curriculars, I could. My grades never went below a fucking B minus. ” 

Steve wasn’t sure what to say, he just held his friend silently as she cried. (Y/N) pulled away and Steve looked down at her, his friend’s breath shook as she sat down on the floor. (Y/N) rested her elbows on her knees and her hands tangled in her hair as she started at the floor.

“I’m gonna grab you some water.” Steve said as he moved to the fridge. (Y/N) was trying to even her breathing as he grabbed two water bottles and sat next to her. He opened one and passed it to her. 

“Thanks, Steve.” She sighed and took it, she wiped some snot and tears from her face before taking a sip. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes. “Guess I could just,” She sniffled and chuckled a bit. “Move towards being a manager at the Worm.” 

“Nah.” Steve chuckled and (Y/N) looked over at him. “You’re too smart to stay in this town.” He smiled at her. (Y/N) chuckled. “No, seriously, people like me stay here.” He said. 

“You’re smart.” (Y/N) reassured. 

“You didn’t get to see my application essay.” Steve pointed out with a small laugh as he looked over at her.

“You’re too hard on yourself.” (Y/N) reassured with a shrug, looking away from him.

“Says the queen of being hard on themselves.” Steve replied. 

“I wasn’t aware that Nancy lost that title.” She joked and smiled a bit as Steve laughed softly before a small frown settled on his face. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be an asshole.” She added.

“What?” Steve asked. 

“The comment about Nancy, didn’t think it would... I dunno, push a button.” (Y/N) shrugged. 

“Oh, no.” He shook his head. “I just, I’m worried about you.” Steve raised an eyebrow as (Y/N) snorted with laughter. 

“Oh, you’re serious?” She asked. 

“Yeah.” Steve nodded and looked away from her. “I mean... You’re... not really hanging out with the party or Dustin much anymore. Not hanging out with anyone but Billy really... This is the first time we’ve really talked since the dance.” He shrugged. “You’re dating Billy of all people.” He finished with a scoff. 

“Oh.” (Y/N) muttered. “Sorry?” 

“You don’t have to apologize.” Steve sighed. “I don’t know, I guess there’s something decent about him if you decided to go out with him.” 

“What’s that mean?” (Y/N) chuckled a bit. 

“You’re the best person I know, (Y/N).” He smiled at her. 

“Well, thanks, Steve.” She said. 

“I really wanted to ask you to the dance as more than friends...” Steve admitted after a few moments of silence had passed. “I was gonna ask you to dance when it started but I couldn’t find you... Then I saw you with Billy and I saw him kiss you and I got mad.” He chuckled, his hands anxiously peeled the label off the bottle. “Thanks for patching me up after I beat your boyfriend up.” Steve chuckled. (Y/N) sighed and Steve raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

“You have really bad timing.” (Y/N) commented. 

“Yeah, I guess this is probably the worst time to actually tell you I wanted to ask you out.” He nodded. “Guess your diary is a little outdated.” He chuckled.

(Y/N) laughed, “Oh, Steve, it's not that. I still like you, I just...” (Y/N) shrugged. “It’s not gonna happen, at least not now.” 

“Yeah, you and Billy seem pretty attached to each other.” He sighed. (Y/N) turned to him. 

“It's not that, Steve.” She began, he looked over at her and copied her body language. “I’m gonna tell you a secret.” 

“Okay?” Steve raised an eyebrow.

“I’m only dating Billy so he leaves the kids alone. Have you noticed that he hasn’t been an ass to Max? To Lucas? Or Dusty? Any of them at all?” 

Steve thought for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, you shut him down pretty fast last week too when he yelled at Max.” 

(Y/N) nodded, “That’s the deal, he leaves you and the kids alone, I date him.” 

“Wait, me?” Steve asked. 

(Y/N) sighed, “Yeah, he’ll stop bashing that pretty face of yours in if I date him.” 

“So everything’s an act?” He chuckled. 

“From me at least.” she shrugged and held her pinky out in between the pair, “No telling Dustin, or the rest of the party for that matter.” 

Steve smiled and linked pinkies with her. “No telling the kids.” He agreed. “How long is this agreement in effect?” 

“Until graduation.” (Y/N) sighed. “Then hopefully he fucks off.” She added with a chuckle. Steve smiled and nodded. “Well... um.” (Y/N) pulled her hand away from his. “I think I’m gonna head to bed. You can crash here if you want. Pillow and bla--” 

“It's alright.” Steve chuckled as the pair stood up. He grabbed his keys and headed to the door. (Y/N) followed behind him. 

“I’ll see you Monday.” (Y/N) smiled softly at him. Steve kissed her cheek softly before opening the door. 

“See you Monday.” He smiled at her before leaving.


	7. Wrench

(Y/N) had fallen into a routine in the next couple of weeks. Dates with Billy on Saturday nights, a new tradition of Wednesday Movie Nights with Steve and Dustin. In the halls at school, her and Steve would exchange pleasantries and a look of understanding if Billy happened to have his arm slung around her shoulder possessively. Something had formed between Steve and her, since the Monday after he’d kissed her on the cheek and she’d told him that what was happening between her and Billy wasn’t real. Wednesday nights after Dustin had gone to bed, the pair would sit in the backyard; (Y/N) leaning against him as they chatted, his arm hanging loosely and comfortably around her shoulders. 

 

“Only a month left until graduation.” Steve grinned as he leaned against the wall by her locker. “Any summer plans?” 

 

“Working.” (Y/N) chuckled and put her books away before grabbing her lunch bag. “What else would I be doing?” 

“Maybe, going to Chicago with me for a weekend?” Steve asked with a small smirk. 

“And what about Dustin?” She chuckled. “Leave him with the Byers? Our mom hasn’t been home for an entire weekend in years.” 

“Leave him with the Byers.” Steve shrugged. “He’s a smart kid, he could probably even take care of himself for a weekend.” 

 

“Now it just sounds like you two are scheming again.” She smiled. 

“I can say nothing.” Steve smirked. 

“And what would we do in Chicago?” She asked. 

“We coul-”  
“Harrington.” Billy said as he walked over, giving (Y/N) the usual greeting of his arm around her shoulder and a sloppy kiss on her lips, to which she responded the same, pulling away and wiping his saliva off her face. 

“Hargrove.” Steve replied through gritted teeth. (Y/N) heard Nancy laugh from her locker down the hall, behind the three of them. 

 

“Oh look at that, Nance is here.” (Y/N) announced and ducked out from Billy’s arm. “See you guys around.” 

“What’re you talking to (Y/N) for, Harrington?” Billy asked before sucking his teeth, glaring at Steve. 

“Just making sure my friend is okay.” Steve said casually, crossing his arms in front of him and cocking an eyebrow at Billy, who in turn squared himself up. 

“You get a pass this time.” Billy practically spat at him, Steve chuckled slightly. Billy glanced over his shoulder, (Y/N) was distracted talking with Nancy and Jonathan. Billy turned back to Steve and shoved him back slightly. Billy turned and walked away. “Let’s go.” He said and put his arm around (Y/N)’s shoulders. 

 

“Uh, to English? It's not for another 15 minutes.” (Y/N) replied with a chuckle. 

“To the quarry, take a break.” Billy replied. “At least from school.” He added with a smirk and moved his arm from around her, gently pushing her against the lockers. 

“Well, right, we’ll see you around (Y/N).” Nancy said, shutting her locker quickly, her and Jonathan both looked away as Billy planted a sloppy kiss on (Y/N)’s lips. Steve shook his head as Nancy and Jonathan walked up to him. 

“You looked pretty mad.” Jonathan pointed out. 

(Y/N) pulled away from Billy and pushed him back gently, “You’re not as sly as you think, you know.” She said. 

“Sorry, princess, what did I do?” He asked with a smirk. 

 

“That little shove, I saw it.” She replied. “You broke the deal.” 

“He said something rude, deserved it.” Billy shrugged and shifted to leaning against the wall. 

“You still broke the deal.” (Y/N) repeated. 

“What are you gonna do, (Y/N)? Break up with me?” He chuckled, “That’s not how this works, you know that.” 

(Y/N) knew that, she hated it but she knew it. Breaking up with Billy wouldn’t prevent anything like that from happening again. Then again he’d gone back on his end of this stupid deal in the first place. (Y/N)’s eyes went from his smug face to Steve, who stood in the same place. Face full of concern as he talked with Jonathan and Nancy. (Y/N) questioned when everything got a wrench thrown into it. Was it the Spring Fling? That day in The Worm? The first stupid date with Billy? When Dustin read Steve her diary? Steve becoming Dustin’s new best friend in the first place? Not getting into any of her choice colleges? It clicked then. She couldn’t get into any colleges, couldn’t adequately protect her brother, couldn’t do much despite all her best efforts being thrown into every single little thing she did and she felt the tears sting her lower lashline.Steve looked over at her, his mouth stopped moving and he gave her a look, similar to the one he’d given that day in the bathroom at the Henderson house. He wanted to say something, but it wasn’t the right place, the right time. 

“(Y/N).” Billy’s voice made her look over. “Quarry.” 

It was less of a question or request, more a demand. 

“Yeah, I guess, whatever.” She said and pushed herself off the wall. Yet again, Billy’s arm settled around her shoulders as the pair walked out of the school. 

“He’s such an ass.” Steve said as he watched the kindest girl he knew walk out with the new king of Hawkins High School.


	8. Unwelcome Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama, drama, drama.

(Y/N) practically ran out of her last period class on Wednesday, typically she’d reluctantly chat with Billy and then go home but today she was going with Steve and Dustin to see a special screening of Return of the Jedi. Dustin was already at Steve’s car. 

 

“(Y/N)! Where’s Steve?” He called to her. 

 

“I’m here, I’m here, dipshit.” Steve laughed from behind (Y/N). She smiled over her shoulder at him. 

“We’re gonna be late, come on!” Her brother yelled again. (Y/N) and Steve reached the car, Steve unlocked it. “Shotgun.” Dustin announced and climbed into the front passenger seat. Steve and (Y/N) just chuckled and smiled at each other before they each got in their usual seats. As usual, Dustin talked the entire drive to the theatre downtown. 

“Hey, man, why don’t you go grab the seats and we’ll get the snacks?” Steve asked Dustin as the three of them stood in the concessions line. 

 

“Get me cookie doughs, please!” Dustin called as he ran to the hall the lead to the screens. (Y/N) and Steve chuckled together. 

“So I was thinking...” Steve began as they shuffled forward a bit in line. (Y/N) replied with a curious hum. “If we go to Chicago, we could go to Navy Pier, maybe I don’t know,” He shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets, looking down a bit. “Maybe some museums.” 

“That sounds great, Steve.” She chuckled and nudged his shoulder with hers, prompting him to smile over at her. 

“So, is that a yes to coming with me?” He asked sheepishly. 

“Well, you tempt me with carnival rides and museums, of course I will.” She smiled and looked over the menu board ahead of them. There was nothing new, same old popcorn, hot dogs and nachos. (Y/N) just knew the butterflies would come back at full force if she looked over at Steve and he had that adorable goofy grin on his face. She let out a quiet giggle as Steve pulled her into a tight hug. 

“I can’t wait for graduation.” Steve whispered into her hair. 

“Yeah.” (Y/N) chuckled and pulled away from him. “No more school. No more Billy.” She added the last part in a hushed tone. Steve looked around, almost like he was making sure no one was watching them

“No more secrets.” He added and linked pinkies with her.

“No more secrets.” (Y/N) smiled back. 

-

Steve parked his car in it's usual spot in front of the Henderson residence. (Y/N) and him chatted with Dustin about the movie as they all walked up the lawn. Steve looked over to the driveway. Instead of Claudia Henderson’s usual ford, sat a shiny black Cadillac. 

“Who’s car is that?” He asked and looked back to (Y/N). 

“I’m not sure?” (Y/N) replied.

“Maybe mom got a new one.” Dustin suggested. The three all shrugged and went inside. 

“Mom!” Dustin and (Y/N) called in unison. 

“She’s not home yet.” A voice all to familiar to (Y/N) came from the kitchen. She felt the anger rise in her chest as her eyes landed on him, casually flipping through the mail, half eaten sandwich as if he hadn’t left all those years ago and destroyed their mother entirely. (Y/N)’s hand landed on Dustin’s shoulder and gripped it as he looked at the man in confusion. “I see you haven’t been accepted into any colleges yet, (Y/N), I have to say I expected more from you.” The man’s eyes flicked to Steve. “But if you’ve been fooling around with a Harrington, I can’t say I’m surprised.” (Y/N)’s throat had gone try and she felt herself begin to tremble, Steve gently grabbed her hand. “Well, Dustin, are you going to say hello to your old man?” Mr. Henderson asked smugly. 

“Dad.” The Henderson siblings spoke in unison. Dustin in pleasant disbelief but (Y/N) with hatred and annoyance. Steve gave (Y/N)’s hand a gentle and reassuring squeeze. Every emotion that she had pent up the past few years were whirling in her mind and she wasn’t certain if she wanted to laugh, scream or cry. 

“Where’s your mother?” He asked taking a bite of the sandwich. 

“Work, probably.” Dustin shrugged. 

“Well, once she gets home it’ll be nice to sit down and have a family dinner.” He said. “Steve, are you dining with us middle class folks tonight? Your father ask you to work on the Harrington image?”

“Steve’s my friend.” Dustin explained. 

“And sleeping with your sister.” He chuckled, dismissively. “Anyway, Steve, I’d like for you to leave so I can speak with my daughter.” 

“You’re fucking kidding me.” The words fell out of (Y/N)’s mouth like a rockslide. Rough and forceful. 

“Excuse me.” Their father asked, shock evident on his face as he looked up at her. “Watch your mouth young lady.” 

“No, fuck you!” (Y/N) shouted, “You crushed mom, you abandoned us and now... now you just come back out of the blue and act like everything is hunky fucking dory? No, that’s not fair, it's not happening. You’re not getting that, not from me.” 

“Then you have no need to be in my house.” He stated, plainly. 

“Your house?” (Y/N) scoffed. “I’m sorry have you been helping support any of us these past few years? No, you haven’t. Don’t try and lie because I help with bills, you asshole! I’ve helped mom take care of Dustin and you just ran away from us!” Angry tears had started streaming down her face, she wasn’t sure at what point. 

“(Y/F/N) (Y/M/N).” Claudia spoke up from the doorway. “Do not speak to your father that way.” 

(Y/N) turned to look at her mother, “You’re kidding.” Her voice cracked as she held back more tears. 

“Maybe we should give him a chance...” Dustin spoke up from next to his sister. She couldn’t yell at him, he didn’t talk about it much but she knew how much he wished their dad would come back. 

“I’m leaving.” (Y/N) shook her head and snatched her car keys from the spot she’d left them on the kitchen counter this morning. “Love you, Dust.” She said before heading towards the door. 

“(Y/N) please.” Her mother cooed and reached for her as (Y/N) walked out. Steve followed close behind her. 

 

“I’ll make sure she’s okay.” Steve said lowly, directing it mainly to Dustin and Claudia. He shut the front door and jogged over to (Y/N), who stood at the door of her car, fumbling with her keys to unlock it, small sobs escaping as she tried to control her breathing. Steve grabbed her hands. “(Y/N), stop.” He said softly. “You shouldn’t drive like this, come on.” He led her to his car. He opened the passenger door for her and stepped in, her sobs turned to hiccups as she sat down. Steve got in and drove to his house.


	9. Disruptions

“He can’t just come back like this!” (Y/N) said exasperated and pacing the floor in front of the couch at the Harringtons’ home. She’d been silent for past hour and a half causing Steve to jump at her sudden outburst

“(Y/N), you’re going to set the carpet on fire if you keep pacing like this.” Steve said hoping it would make her laugh slightly. She just stopped and sat on the couch next to him. 

“I can’t believe this, my mom just letting him stroll back in like this.” She shook her head. “Him acting like he did nothing wrong, fuck for all I know he could have another fucking family out there or some shit!” She ran her hands over her face, her eyes stinging as she rubbed them; the skin around them raw and red from the tears. A sob came back up, “I am so mad, Steve.” She choked out. Steve sighed and pulled her to him. 

“I honestly don’t know what I can do to help.” He whispered to her. 

“I can’t stay in that house.” (Y/N) shook her head. 

“You can stay here, we just redid the guest bedroom and everything.” Steve smiled. “Unless you know... you wouldn’t mind...” 

“Some cuddling would be great.” (Y/N) sniffled and wiped her eyes again. Steve chuckled a bit. 

“Wanna go and get some of your stuff?” He asked and (Y/N) nodded before getting up. Steve followed. 

-

“I’m just grabbing some stuff.” (Y/N) announced as her parents and brother, watched her walk into the house. “Crashing with a friend.” She walked past the living room, down the hall to her room. Steve waited by the front door, somewhat awkwardly. Dustin followed his sister. She had a weekender bag open on her bed as she threw clothes into it. 

 

“You’re not even going to try and give dad another chance?” Dustin asked, she shook her head and gathered up some of her makeup. “Was what he did really that bad, (Y/N)?” 

(Y/N) sighed as she put the makeup into her luggage and turned to face her little brother, “Dust, you were too young to remember how bad mom got.” 

“You’re only 5 years older than me.” Dustin argued, Steve pushed himself off the wall by the front door as he heard Dustin start to yell. Steve stood in the hallway behind the younger Henderson.

“Yeah, but it's just, mom was...” 

“This isn’t about how mom feels!” Dustin yelled, and (Y/N)’s heart dropped as her brother glared at her. “You’re just mad because you couldn’t get into any of your school so you feel like you’re stuck here. That’s not dad’s fault! He came back and he wants to be here now! Why can’t you let him try?” 

“Dust-” 

“Your life sucking isn’t his fault, (Y/N), mom didn’t ask you to take care of me, I didn’t ask you to! Mom didn’t ask you to help pay for stuff! It was your choice!” Dustin continued. 

“Dustin, man, come on.” Steve said. 

“Stay out of it, Steve!” The Henderson siblings yelled at him in unison.

“You’re totally right, Dustin.” (Y/N) admitted, “Mom didn’t ask me to. You didn’t ask me to. But you know what, if I hadn’t, things would’ve been harder. Mom could never make bills on her own, ever. Gramma and Grandpa didn’t want to help her so I decided to. You were never around to hear those conversations, Dustin. You wanna give dad another chance, by all means, do it but he’s going to leave again.” (Y/N) argued, zipping up her bag and picking up. She shoved past her brother and Steve. Ignoring her mother and father as she went outside. 

“Hey there, princess.” Billy greeted her with a smirk as he was leaning on his Camaro. 

“For fuck’s sake.” (Y/N) muttered, she walked quickly to her car, unlocking the trunk and tossing her bag in. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Billy chuckled and walked over. “Where you going, beautiful?” He asked. 

“She’s staying with me.” Steve announced as he walked over to them. Billy grimaced and looked over at him. 

“That right?” Billy asked. 

“Yeah, in his guest room, don’t get your panties in a twist.” (Y/N) lied, the longer she could keep up this stupid deal with Billy to keep him off the party and Steve’s asses, the less stressed out she would be. Steve bit his tongue and simply nodded. 

 

“You could always come stay with me, you know.” Billy smirked. 

“Thanks, I’m good.” (Y/N) sighed and looked to Steve. “I’ll follow you to your house.” She said and he nodded. Steve walked to his car and (Y/N) shut her trunk. She went to go to her car door and Billy grabbed her arm. 

“You should really come stay with me.” He said as he pulled her close to him, prompting Steve to return. He grabbed Billy by the shoulder and pulled him away from her. 

“She’s gonna stay with me, man.” Steve stated. 

“This isn’t your business, Harrington, she chose me.” He said and took a step towards Steve, who scoffed, all three of them knew that was a lie. “Got something to say, say it, amigo.” 

“Steve.” (Y/N) sighed. Steve shook his head. 

“I’m just looking out for my friend.” Steve said. “She’s not staying with you, man.” Billy let out a chuckle and flicked his cigarette onto the pavement of the driveway. In an instant, Steve was on the lawn. 

“Never learned to plant your feet.” Billy laughed and turned to (Y/N). “Get your shit, lets go.”

“Fuck off. You just broke the deal.” (Y/N) spat back, he grabbed her arm again and she pulled back from him. Something snapped and the next thing she knew, (Y/N)’s fist was raised and colliding with Billy’s cheek. The unexpected punch caught Billy off guard and made him stumble backward, his grip on her arm disappearing. “I am done with your bullshit! Being an asshole won’t get you anywhere, Billy. Torturing your stepsister and her friends just because you’re angry, is the stupidest shit in the world. They’re 13, for fuck’s sake. This stupid alpha male contest you’ve got with Steve is so annoying and just proves how insecure you really are. This gross plan of yours, that I stupidly agreed to, just shows that you are truly pathetic, Billy. Leave me alone, leave the kids alone, leave Steve alone. Figure your shit out!” (Y/N) yelled before getting into her car, slamming the door behind her and peeling out of her driveway.


End file.
